A 94-year-old woman found brutally beaten after an apparent burglary at her home is still critically ill in hospital, police said yesterday.

Widow Ada Hopkinson was rushed to hospital on Friday morning with severe facial and head injuries after she was found collapsed on the floor of her home.

She is said to be in a critical, but stable condition at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and a team of 30 detectives is working to catch those responsible for the assault at her home in Shirburn Road, Leek.

Mrs Hopkinson's daughter, Pat Davis, issued a statement through police calling on the local community to help find her mother's attacker.

She said: "The sight of my dear mum's battered and bleeding head will live with me forever. To think that a fit, independent old lady has almost had her life beaten out of her in this ultimate act of cowardice is just too much to bear.

"Please, please contact the police if you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

Anyone with information is urged to contact the major incident unit in Newcastle-under-Lyme on 01785 232829.